I’m still in the point of my life where I’m reading a lot of Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Andersen. Sometimes I even feel like I’m continuing the storytelling tradition by retelling the tales to my kids sans books.
No matter how often I read and tell these stories, the kids are caught up in them.
What I’ve learned from fairy tales:
Start out right in the middle of the action: Jack and his mother are out of food at the beginning of Jack and the Beanstalk. So Jack goes off to sell the old cow, the last saleable asset, for their very survival.
If you start out with an ordinary day, it should abruptly veer off course (and pretty quickly.) Red Riding Hood was on a run-of-the-mill trip to Grandma’s house before ill-advisedly chatting with a wolf. In Goldilocks and the Three Bears, the bears had some hot food that needed to cool–and the need to walk off a few pounds. It was a normal morning for the bears until that naughty Goldilocks broke into their cottage and started destroying their furniture.
Limit the number of characters: Fairy tales have only a handful, suitable for easy retelling through the generations. And, yes, the stories are super-short. But think how memorable these characters are.
Characters’ shortcomings can contribute to their downfalls: Yes, the wolf was a terrible antagonist for the Three Little Pigs. But two of the pigs were brought down just as much by their own failure—laziness. Obviously, brick building matter was available, but they decided to go the easy route with twigs and straw. Little Red Riding Hood shouldn’t have talked to strangers. The poor villager should never have bragged to the king that his daughter could spin straw into gold. Peter’s habit of lying nearly caused him to be devoured by a wolf.
Greed is a powerful motivator: The people of Hamelin didn’t pay the Pied Piper for ridding them of their rats; he lured off their children in retaliation. Jack’s greed (he went back up the beanstalk several times to steal additional items from the giant) nearly killed him.
Before an attack, have tension build steadily. We know something that Little Red Riding Hood doesn’t know—she’s in the room with a ravenous wolf. The tension builds as Red comes slowly toward the bed. “Grandma! What big eyes you have!” Jack hides in an oven while the giant bellows, “Fee-fi-fo-fum!” It’s not a jumping-out-at-you kind of fear. We hear the giant’s heavy steps, see Red come closer to the wolf to peer at her ‘grandma.’ Waiting for the inevitable attack creates painstaking tension.
Have the protagonist save himself by using his wits. Now this isn’t always the case in fairy tales. Yes, the woodsman saved Red and Grandma. And Bluebeard’s wife was saved by her brothers. But in many cases, there wasn’t some last-minute savior. In Three Billy Goats Gruff, the goats outwitted the troll by repeatedly promising him that a better meal was on its way to the bridge. In Hansel and Gretel, Hansel tricked the nearsighted witch by sticking out a small bone leftover from a meal to prove to the witch he wasn’t fat enough for her to eat. The pig with the brick house was one step ahead of the wolf: realizing he was going to try to enter via the chimney, he anticipated the attack and boiled a large pot of water.
When the characters save themselves, the result is much more satisfying.
When I’m reading fairy tales to the kids, I sometimes think I’m getting more out of it than they are. Sharing the stories is a good experience for both of us.
I’m taking a three day break from blogging to celebrate Thanksgiving with family. Hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving and will enjoy these older posts of mine. :) This post originally ran July 17, 2009
Thanks for re-sharing. Happy holidays.
Elizabeth – You’re absolutely right. Fairy tales do have lots to teach us about good, crisp solid writing. I’d also add that fairly tales’ plots are nicely focused. They don’t veer off onto tangents and too many subplots (Do we ever find out, for instance, whether any of the three little pigs has a girlfriend, and what that relationship is like?). Thanks for a really interesting way to think about writing (as always!).
I love fairy tales! They often give kids a sense of empowerment – kids can solve their own problems. Great post – hope your weekend is full of fun :)
I enjoyed the post Elizabeth! I hope you are enjoying your break!
I do! (love your old posts).
Fairy tales are wonderful stories, and they can even be reused as a backdrop for great new stories.
Don’t forget greedy bunnies who want more carrots, too!
Enjoy the time with your family!
Yes, Happy Holidays – we could not celebrate Thanksgiving so late here in Canada – no pumpkins, no harvest but Bare Trees November (remember that album? no – too young?)
As to Fairy Tales, I am so with you. I love them – have my original books, read them to my kids and my grandkids. I use them in my psychotherapy practice to illicit people’s scripts – what is your favourite fairy tale and what does it say about how you live your life. I think too about the structure of them and what it means to my writing – often there is a dummling – the youngest brother or sister – who appears to be slightly innocent or stupid but is in truth free of greed and avarice. That person helps the good fairy disguised as an old crone or assists the poor creature that is under a spell. The older brothers or sisters give this one nothing but scorn (Billy Goats Gruff, the Three Pigs, are the nursery story versions of this – Shakespeare used the dummling motif more than once – most vividly in King Lear – and there are lots in between. Have you ever read Cap O’Rushes? It is an Irish fairy tale that was definitely the impetous of King Lear.
Well, now it is back to my wip – only four more days to do 11 thou words!
There’s a reason these stories have lasted for generations!
Fairy tales are great; although when I reread them to my kids when they were little I have to admit I was surprised at the level of violence; I guess it goes over kids’ heads.
I can’t knock them though; 2 of my games contain fairy tale characters!
Elspeth
Love the way you dissected the key elements. Enjoy your “quality time” with family, Elizabeth!
Marvin D Wilson
Love the way you dissected the key elements. Have a great “quality time” with your family!
Marvin D Wilson
What fun examples for the basics of good story writing – the authors of those fairy tales definitely knew what they were doing.
Hello. Thanks for sharing this great post but I want to say something about an Andersen tale; “The Tinder Box”. It has many images that may cause fear for children like the dogs with huge turning eyes and its last scenes contain violence.So can we say that every tale is suitable to tell the children? What do you think?
Diane–I’d forgotten about those! And you enjoy your family, too!
Mason–Thanks!
Margot–They are tightly written stories, aren’t they? I wonder if that’s because they had an oral tradition and people who were listening to the story would doze if it didn’t keep to the plotline?
Jan–No, I guess your growing season is over, isn’t it? I don’t remember the Bare Trees, but I’ll have to look it up! (Of course, you’re writing to someone who doesn’t really remember what she even did last week….)
“The Golden Goose” was another example, wasn’t it? Slightly dense, but heart of gold woodcutter? Wizened old man who asks to share his lunch?
I haven’t read Cap O’ Rushes, so I’ll find it online for a good read. I love those kind of stories, and if it inspired Lear then I’ll have to give it a read-over.
Good luck w/ your WIP!
Jemi–That’s so true—Hansel and Gretel got out of their own jam, etc. The kids all seem to be orphans or motherless so they’ll be more independent in the story, I think. Good point!
Marvin–Thanks! And you, too.
Jane–They did, didn’t they? They’ve been enthralling kids for generations.
Tamika–Thanks! I am enjoying it–we popped down to South Carolina for a couple of days to get caught up with my mother and father. Nice trip!
Dorte–Thanks! :) I’ve seen some wonderful fairy tale remakes. They must be the most retold and adapted stories out there.
Elspeth–They sound like cool games! Yeah, they’re definitely violent, though. When my daughter was really little, I told her the “Little Red Riding Hood” with the happier ending–not the one with Grandma and Little Red being eaten.
yağmur–“The Tinder Box” was always a little scary to me, I have to admit–and “The Little Match Girl” was too sad for me. I didn’t share those stories with my kids. And I’ve only recently given my son a copy of “Bluebeard,” which is super-violent and scary. I think maybe some of the stories were intended to be warnings to children ages ago? Scare them into NOT going into the woods? :) But I’m with you–it depends on the age of the child and what their imagination is like (are they going to be able to go to sleep afterward?)